1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of pleating unfinished garments, thereby to manufacture pleated garments such as pleated skirts, pleated dresses, pleated blouses, and pleated slacks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Methods of manufacturing pleated garments such as pleated skirts, are known. Skirts having pleats are classified into flared skirts, gathered skirts, and pleated skirts. Processes of forming pleats on skirts, dresses, blouses, slacks, and the like are generally called "pleating."
When pleated, garments attain appropriate shades and have a visual effect, or a specific aesthetic impression. Further, the pleats impart a garment flexibility, which makes the wearer feel not tightened up and enables the wearer to move well, even if the nominal size of the garment is too small for the wearer.
The pleated garment, such as pleated skirts, pleated dresses, pleated blouses, and pleated slacks, are usually manufactured in the following steps in most cases:
(1) First, selected cloth is cut into several parts having predetermined shapes and sizes (cutting). PA1 (2) The parts, thus prepared, are pressed in preparation for the next step, i.e., pleating (pressing). PA1 (3) The parts are pleated by a pleating machine or by human labor (pleating). PA1 (4) The pleated parts are placed in a heat-treatment apparatus, and heated with saturated steam, thus fixing the pleats (heat treatment). PA1 (5) The parts, each now having fixed pleats, are pieced together by means of a sewing machine, thereby producing a pleated garment (sewing).
As described, a pleated garment is produced, usually by first cutting cloth into parts, then pleating cloth parts, and finally sewing these parts together. In some cases, however, it is made by first pleating cloth, then cutting the pleated cloth into parts, and finally sewing the parts together. In either case, buttons are fixed during the sewing step.
Recently, first cloth parts are sewed together into an unfinished garment, and then the unfinished garment is processed to have pleats. This process of forming pleats on an unfinished garment, which can be called "post pleats process," is disclosed in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application 2-269866.
In the post pleats process, first cloth parts are sewed together, and then the resultant unfinished garment is pleated. Hence, the finished product, i.e., the pleated garment has sufficient flexibility, and can have various designs, acquiring different aesthetic impressions.
As pointed out, the conventional method of manufacturing pleated garments comprises many steps, i.e., cutting, pressing, pleating, heat-treating, and sewing. The method further comprises the step of placing the pleated garment in a package case. Much time is required to manufacture pleated garments by the conventional method. Obviously, the method fails to meet great demand for pleated garments.
The pleating process consists in clamping a cloth part to be sewed to another part, or an unfinished garment (i.e., cloth parts sewed together), between an upper mold having grooves and a lower mold having projections complementary to the grooves of the upper mold. Most upper and lower molds, generally known as "pleats molds," are made of metal. A pair of molds are attached to a pleating machine, which is operated to form pleats on unfinished garments.
Ordinary pleats, or simple pleats, can be formed by the pleating machine equipped with metal pleats molds. Complex pleats, such as tapered-side pleats, accordion pleats, pattern-matching pleats, and the like, cannot be formed by the machine, however. They are formed manually, with assistance of pleats molds made of paper. As well understood, much time is consumed to form complex pleats.
No matter whether pleats are formed by the machine or hand, pleats molds need to be used. Inevitably, pleats can have but limited designs. Consequently, it is difficult to produce garments having pleats of various designs, in large quantities.
To form pleats of any new design, a pair of pleats molds, i.e., an upper mold and a lower mold, must be prepared. In the case where an unfinished garment needs to be pleated at a time, it is necessary to make an upper mold and a lower mold, either consisting of many mold elements. Needless to say, it takes a long time to prepare such pleats molds, which hinders the prompt large-scale manufacture of pleated garments.